U.S. patent application number 11/659969 was filed with the patent office on 2007-11-01 for applicator.
This patent application is currently assigned to TOKIWA CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Yoshiaki Tajima.
Application Number | 20070251542 11/659969 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36000182 |
Filed Date | 2007-11-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070251542 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tajima; Yoshiaki |
November 1, 2007 |
Applicator
Abstract
To provide an applicator in which an application core does not
become shaky or unstable even if force in a lateral direction is
applied to an application portion of the application core during
use, an applicator is provided with a container (1) having an
accommodation portion (101) to accommodate a liquid material (10),
and an application core (2) supported by a leading end inner
portion of the container (1) from an outside and having a
communication hole (23) communicated from an inside of the
accommodation portion (101) and extending toward a leading end
side, the container (1) has a guide tube (102) guiding the liquid
material (10) toward a leading end side from an inside of the
accommodation portion (101) to be inserted fitly to the
communication hole (23) from a rear side, and the application core
(2) is supported by the guide tube (102) from a rear side.
Inventors: |
Tajima; Yoshiaki; (Tokyo,
JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BACON & THOMAS, PLLC
625 SLATERS LANE
FOURTH FLOOR
ALEXANDRIA
VA
22314
US
|
Assignee: |
TOKIWA CORPORATION
3-20, Momoyamacho, Nakatsugawa-shi
Gifu
JP
508-0024
|
Family ID: |
36000182 |
Appl. No.: |
11/659969 |
Filed: |
August 29, 2005 |
PCT Filed: |
August 29, 2005 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/JP05/16152 |
371 Date: |
February 12, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
132/320 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B05C 17/012 20130101;
A45D 2200/055 20130101; B05C 17/0133 20130101; B43K 8/02 20130101;
A45D 34/04 20130101; A45D 40/06 20130101; B43K 8/04 20130101; A45D
34/042 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
132/320 |
International
Class: |
A45D 40/08 20060101
A45D040/08 |
Claims
1. An applicator comprising: a container having an accommodation
portion in which a liquid material is accommodated; and an
application core supported by a leading end inner portion of the
container from an outer side and having a communication hole
communicated from an inner side of the accommodation portion and
extending toward a leading end side, wherein said container has a
guide tube extended toward a leading end side so as to be inserted
and fitted to the communication hole from a rear side and provided
for guiding the liquid material, and the application core is
supported by the guide tube from a rear side.
2. An applicator as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the case that
said application core is constituted by a permeable application
core in which the liquid material is supplied to the application
portion corresponding to the leading end portion through a movement
of the liquid material in said communication hole and the
permeation of the liquid material permeated from the inner side of
the communication hole in the application core, the applicator
regulates the permeation of the liquid material to the application
core from the inner side of the communication hole by the guide
tube fitly inserted to said communication hole.
3. An applicator as claimed in claim 1, wherein said container is
provided with a cylinder in which an accommodation portion is
formed as an inner portion, a piston slidably arranged within the
cylinder along an axial direction, and an extrusion mechanism
extruding the liquid material within the cylinder via the
piston.
4. An applicator as claimed in claim 2, wherein said container is
provided with a cylinder in which an accommodation portion is
formed as an inner portion, a piston slidably arranged within the
cylinder along an axial direction, and an extrusion mechanism
extruding the liquid material within the cylinder via the piston.
Description
[0001] This is a nationalization of the International Patent
Application No. PCT/JP2005/016152 filed Aug. 29, 2005 and published
in Japanese.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to an applicator used for a
container with application member by which a user can appropriately
extrude a liquid material, for example, an internal cosmetic.
BACKGROUND ART
[0003] As a conventional applicator, for example, there is
disclosed a structure provided with a container having an
accommodation portion, for example, in which a liquid material is
accommodated, and an application core supported by a leading end
portion of the container from an outer side and having a
communication hole communicated from an inner side of the
accommodation portion and extending toward a leading end side (for
example, refer to Japanese Utility Model No. 2517866).
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Problem to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] In this case, in the conventional applicator, since the
application core is attached to the container by the technical
means that an outer portion of the application core is supported
only by a leading end inner portion of the container, a force in a
lateral direction generated in accordance with use is applied to
the application portion corresponding to the leading end portion of
the application core in the conventional applicator, whereby the
application core is shaky and becomes unstable. Accordingly, it is
requested to securely avoid the matter mentioned above, in the
conventional applicator.
[0005] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to
provide an applicator which can effectively avoid the matter that
an application core is shaky and becomes unstable even if a force
in a lateral direction in accordance with use is applied to an
application portion of the application core, thereby achieving an
improvement of a durability of a product with an application core
and a spread of the product to a market.
Means for Solving the Problem
[0006] In order to achieve the object mentioned above, in
accordance with the present invention, there is provided an
applicator comprising:
[0007] a container having an accommodation portion in which a
liquid material is accommodated; and
[0008] an application core supported by a leading end inner portion
of the container from an outer side and having a communication hole
communicated from an inner side of the accommodation portion and
extending toward a leading end side,
[0009] wherein the container has a guide tube extended toward a
leading end side from a rear side so as to be inserted and fitted
to the communication hole and provided for guiding the liquid
material, and the application core is supported by the guide tube
from a rear side.
[0010] In accordance with the applicator mentioned above, since the
application core is not only supported by the leading end inner
portion of the container from the outer side thereof, but also
supported by the guide tube extended from the rear side thereof, it
is possible to effectively avoid the matter that the application
core is shaky and becomes unstable even if the force in the lateral
direction in accordance with use is applied to the application
portion of the application core, and it is possible to achieve an
improvement of a durability of a product with application core and
a spread of the product to a market as a result.
[0011] In the technical means mentioned above, if the application
core is constituted by a permeable application core in which the
liquid material is supplied to the application portion
corresponding to the leading end portion through a movement of the
liquid material in the communication hole and the permeation of the
liquid material permeated from the inner side of the communication
hole in the application core, in the sight of adapting the
application core to a viscosity of the liquid material by adjusting
a length of the guide tube fitted and inserted into the
communication hole without adjusting an inner diameter of the
communication hole, and intending to widen a viscosity range of the
liquid material which the application core having the communication
hole having the same inner diameter can apply to, it is preferable
to regulate the permeation of the liquid material to the
application core from the inner side of the communication hole by
the guide tube fitted and inserted to the communication hole.
[0012] In this case, in the sight of having a method of regulating
a pressure extruding the liquid material within the cylinder as a
technical means for adapting the application core to the viscosity
of the liquid material together, and intending to further widen the
viscosity range of the liquid material which the application core
having the communication hole having the same inner diameter can
apply to, it is preferable that the container is provided with a
cylinder in which an accommodation portion is formed as an inner
portion, a piston slidably arranged within the cylinder along an
axial direction, and an extrusion mechanism extruding the liquid
material within the cylinder via the piston.
EFFECT OF THE INVENTION
[0013] In accordance with the applicator on the basis of the
present invention, it is possible to effectively avoid the matter
that the application core is shaky and becomes unstable even if the
force in the lateral direction in accordance with use is applied to
the application portion of the application core, so that it is
possible to achieve an improvement of a durability of the product
with the application core and a spread of the product to a
market.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view showing an applicator in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an outer appearance of
the applicator;
[0016] FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a pipe
holder in the applicator;
[0017] FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a sleeve in
the applicator;
[0018] FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view for explaining an
operation of the applicator;
[0019] FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a felt chip
in the applicator; and
[0020] FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view showing the felt chip.
EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0021] 1 liquid cosmetic extrusion container [0022] 2 felt chip
[0023] 11 sleeve [0024] 11a protrusions [0025] 12 main body [0026]
13 operation body [0027] 21 application portion [0028] 22
permeation path [0029] 23 communication hole [0030] 31 cylinder
[0031] 32 piston [0032] 33 extrusion mechanism [0033] 41 movable
body [0034] 42 main body [0035] 42a main body tube [0036] 42b
tubular body [0037] 43 operation body [0038] 43a operation tube
[0039] 43b shaft body [0040] 44 ratchet [0041] 44a ratchet tube
[0042] 44b pair of ratchet gear [0043] 44c ratchet spring [0044]
101 accommodation portion [0045] 102 guide tube [0046] 102a liquid
path
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0047] A description will be in detail given below of an embodiment
in accordance with the present invention with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
[0048] FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view showing an applicator in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a
perspective view showing an outer appearance of the applicator,
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a pipe holder in
the applicator, FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a
sleeve in the applicator, FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view
for explaining an operation of the applicator, FIG. 6 is a
longitudinal sectional view showing a felt chip in the applicator,
and FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view showing the felt chip.
[0049] In the present embodiment, the applicator is structured such
as to be provided with a liquid cosmetic extrusion container 1 by
which a user can appropriately extrude a nail cosmetic liquid 10
corresponding to an internal liquid material so as to apply, and a
felt chip 2 corresponding to an application core for applying the
nail cosmetic liquid 10 extruded from an inner side of the liquid
cosmetic extrusion container 1, as shown in FIG. 1.
[0050] A description will be further in detail given below of each
of these constituting elements.
[0051] (1) Liquid Cosmetic Extrusion Container 1
[0052] The liquid cosmetic extrusion container 1 is structured, as
shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, such as to be provided with a tapered
cylindrical sleeve 11 supporting the felt chip 2 from an outer side
by a leading end inner portion, a cylindrical main body 12 fitted
and attached to a rear portion of the sleeve 11, and a cylindrical
operation body 13 connected to a rear portion of the main body 12
so as to be rotatable around an axis and having a bottom in a rear
portion.
[0053] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the liquid
cosmetic extrusion container 1 is structured such as to have an
accommodation portion 101 in which the nail cosmetic liquid 10 is
accommodated.
[0054] In particular, the accommodation portion 101 is formed by a
rear side portion of a pipe holder 12a mentioned below, the main
body 12 connected to an outer portion of the pipe holder 12a in a
watertight manner, thereby holding an outer portion of the sleeve
11, and a leading end side portion of a piston 32 mentioned below,
as shown in FIG. 1.
[0055] Further, the liquid cosmetic extrusion container 1 has a
guide tube 102 forming a liquid path 102a communicated with an
inner side of the accommodation portion 101 and extending along an
axial direction toward a leading end side in an inner side of the
liquid cosmetic extrusion container 1, as shown in FIG. 1.
[0056] The guide tube 102 is structured, as shown in FIG. 1, such
as to be extended toward a leading end side from a rear side and be
fitted and inserted to a communication hole 23 from a rear side. In
other words, the guide tube 102 is fitted and inserted to a
midportion within the communication hole 23 from a rear end portion
of the felt chip 2, thereby serving to support the felt chip 2 from
a rear side.
[0057] In particular, the guide tube 102 is structured, as shown in
FIGS. 1 and 3, such as to be integrally formed with the pipe holder
12a in an inner side of the pipe holder 12a in which an outer
portion is fitted and attached to an inner portion of the main body
12.
[0058] The liquid cosmetic extrusion container 1 is required to
have the guide tube 102 supporting the felt chip 2 from the rear
side, because the applicator is structured as an applicator which
can effectively avoid a matter that the felt chip 2 is shaky and
becomes unstable even if a force in a lateral direction in
accordance with use is applied to the leading end portion of the
felt chip 2, not only by supporting the felt chip 2 by the leading
end inner portion of the container from the outer side, but also
supporting the felt chip 2 by the guide tube 102 of the container
from the rear side. Accordingly, as far as it can serve as
mentioned above, it is possible to employ a container having a
guide tube provided toward the leading end side from the inner side
of the main body 12, and integrally formed with the main body 12
and the other various containers, in place of the liquid cosmetic
extrusion container 1 in which the pipe holder 12a integrally
forming the guide tube 102 is attached within the main body 12, in
the present invention.
[0059] In this case, the guide tube 102 also serves to regulate a
permeation of the nail cosmetic liquid 10 into the felt chip 2 from
the inner side of the communication hole 23 (refer to FIG. 1). In
other words, the guide tube 102 is structured such that the nail
cosmetic liquid 10 hardly flows into a permeation path 22 within
the communication hole 23 to which the guide tube 102 is fitted and
inserted (refer to FIGS. 1 and 7).
[0060] The liquid cosmetic extrusion container 1 is required to
have the guide tube 102 serving as mentioned above, because the
applicator is structured as an applicator which can significantly
widen a viscosity range of the nail cosmetic liquid at which the
same felt chip can apply, by employing a means for regulating a
length of the guide tube 102 fitted and inserted to the
communication hole 23 without employing a means for regulating an
inner diameter of the communication hole 23, as a technical means
for adapting the felt chip 2 to the viscosity of the nail cosmetic
liquid 10. Accordingly, it is possible to employ a tube type
container, a bottle type container or the other various containers
in place of the liquid cosmetic extrusion container 1 in the
present invention, as far as serving as mentioned above.
[0061] In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, the sleeve 11 is provided
with a plurality of protrusions 11a protruding toward an inner side
from an inner portion of the sleeve 11 and extending along an axial
direction toward a tapered leading end portion along a peripheral
direction, and the felt chip 2 is supported from an outer side by
the protrusions 11a of the sleeve 11.
[0062] In the present embodiment, the liquid cosmetic extrusion
container 1 is provided with a cylinder 31 in which an
accommodation portion 101 thereof is formed as an inner portion, a
piston 32 provided within the cylinder 31 so as to be slidable
along an axial direction, and an extrusion mechanism 33 extruding
the nail cosmetic liquid 10 within the cylinder 31 via the piston
32, as shown in FIG. 1.
[0063] In accordance with the liquid cosmetic extrusion container 1
mentioned above, it is possible to have a method of regulating a
pressure of extruding the nail cosmetic liquid 10 within the
cylinder 31, as well as a method of regulating the length of the
portion of the communication hole 23 to which the guide tube 102 is
not fitted and inserted, together, as a technical means for
optimization to the viscosity of the nail cosmetic liquid 10. As a
result, it is possible to further widen the viscosity range of the
nail cosmetic liquid which the same felt chip can apply to.
[0064] In particular, the extrusion mechanism 33 is provided with a
cylindrical movable body 41 in which a male thread is formed in an
outer periphery, a tubular main body 42 in which a female thread
engaged with the male thread of the movable body 41 is formed in a
midportion of an inner periphery, a tubular operation body 43
coupled so as to be rotatable around an axis with respect to the
main body 42 and having a shaft body 43b provided so as to protrude
toward a leading end side from a bottom in a rear end and to which
the movable body 41 engaged with the female thread is fitted so as
to be non-rotatable and movable in a length direction, and a
ratchet 44 for regulating the movement of the movable body 41 in a
rearward direction, as shown in FIG. 1, and is structured such that
the movable body 41 can be fed out gradually by relatively rotating
the main body 42 and the operation body 43.
[0065] In this case, the male thread includes a group of
projections intermittently arranged on an outer side surface or a
group of projections spirally and intermittently arranged on an
outer side surface and serving the same function as a thread ridge.
Further, the female thread includes a group of projections
intermittently arranged in an inner side surface or a group of
projections spirally and intermittently arranged in an inner side
surface and serving the same function as the thread ridge.
[0066] In particular, the main body 42 is constituted by a main
body tube 42a connected so as to be rotatable around an axis by the
operation tube 43a, and a tubular body 42b in which a female thread
is provided in an inner portion fitted and attached to the
midportion within the main body tube 42a, as shown in FIG. 1.
[0067] Further, the operation body 43 is constituted by an
operation tube 43a connected to a rear portion of the main body
tube 42a so as to be rotatable around an axis, and a shaft body 43b
inserted into the movable body 41 from a rear side so as to be
non-rotatable and slidable in a length direction, as shown in FIG.
1.
[0068] Further, the ratchet 44 is provided with a ratchet tube 44a
assembled within the operation tube 43a so as to be non-rotatable,
a pair of ratchet gears 44b constituted by a ratchet gear provided
in the tubular body 42b and a ratchet gear provided in the ratchet
tube 44a, and a ratchet spring 44c pinched between the ratchet tube
44a and an inner portion of the operation tube 43a and energizing
the ratchet tube 44a to the tubular body 42b, as shown in FIG.
1.
[0069] On the other hand, the piston 32 is formed as a disc shape,
is coupled to a leading end portion of the movable body 41, and is
inserted and fitted into the main body tube 42a in a watertight
manner, thereby capable of sliding in the length direction (refer
to FIG. 1).
[0070] Accordingly, in the piston 32 mentioned above, the piston 32
can be gradually extruded together with the movable body 41 which
is gradually delivered by a relative rotation between the main body
42 and the operation body 43 executed by a user, whereby it is
possible to extrude the nail cosmetic liquid 10 from the inner side
of the accommodation portion 101 toward an inner side of the liquid
path 102a of the guide tube 102 (refer to FIG. 5).
[0071] (2) Felt Chip 2
[0072] The felt chip 2 is structured such as to be supported from
an outer side by the leading end inner portion of the liquid
cosmetic extrusion container 1, thereby being attached to the
liquid cosmetic extrusion container 1, as shown in FIG. 1.
[0073] In particular, the felt chip 2 has the communication hole 23
communicated from the inner side of the accommodation portion 101
and extending toward a leading end side, as shown in FIG. 1.
[0074] In this case, as shown in FIG. 1, the guide tube 102
extended out from the inner portion of the liquid cosmetic
extrusion container 1 toward the leading end side is fitted and
inserted into the communication hole 23 of the felt chip 2 from a
rear side, and the felt chip 2 is supported from a rear side by the
guide tube 102.
[0075] The felt chip 2 is required to be supported from the rear
side by the guide tube 102 of the liquid cosmetic extrusion
container 1, because the applicator is structured as an applicator
which can effectively avoid the matter that the felt chip 2 is
shaky and becomes unstable even if the force in the lateral
direction in accordance with use is applied to the application
portion 2 of the felt chip 2, not only by supporting the felt chip
2 from the outer side by the leading end inner portion of the
container but also by supporting the felt chip 2 from the rear side
by the guide tube 102. Accordingly, it is possible to employ the
other application core having no permeability than an application
core made of a fiber or a felt or similar porous or capillaceous
materials, in place of the felt chip 2 in the present invention, as
far as serving as mentioned above.
[0076] In particular, the felt chip 2 has an application portion 21
for applying the nail cosmetic liquid 10, and a lot of permeation
paths 22 supplying the nail cosmetic liquid 10 from the rear end
portion to the application portion 21 on the basis of a permeation
and constituted by micro gaps, as shown in FIGS. 1, 6 and 7.
[0077] In this case, the felt chip 2 may be appropriately selected
from materials which can achieve the function in the present
invention, in addition to known felt materials such as a chemical
fiber felt, a heat resisting fiber felt, a needle felt, a resin
finish felt, a molded felt and the like, in addition to a felt made
of wool.
[0078] In particular, the felt chip 2 extends along the axial
direction from the rear end portion toward the leading end side,
and has the communication hole 23 holding the nail cosmetic liquid
10 in the inner side thereof and supplying the nail cosmetic liquid
10 within the communication hole 23 into the permeation path 22
from the midportion thereof, as shown in these figures.
Accordingly, the felt chip 2 is structured such as to have a
permeability which supplies the nail cosmetic liquid 10 to the
application portion 12 corresponding to the leading end portion
thereof through the movement of the nail cosmetic liquid 10 in the
communication hole 23 and the permeation of the nail cosmetic
liquid 10 permeated from the inner side of the communication hole
23 in the felt chip 2.
[0079] In this case, the permeation of the nail cosmetic liquid 10
into the felt chip 2 from the inner side of the communication hole
23 is regulated by the guide tube 102 fitted into the communication
hole 23 (refer to FIG. 1). Accordingly, the felt chip 2 is
structured such that a fitly inserting section fitly inserted by
the guide tube 102 is formed from the rear end position within the
communication hole 23 to the midposition, and the inflow of the
nail cosmetic liquid 10 from the inner side of the communication
hole 23 to the inner side of the permeation path 22 in the fitting
and inserting section is regulated (refer to FIG. 1).
[0080] In other words, the felt chip 2 mentioned above has the
communication hole 23 serving to flow the nail cosmetic liquid 10
held in the inner side into the permeation path 22 from the
midportion thereof, however, is structured such that the guide tube
102 is fitly inserted to the midportion within the communication
hole 23, whereby the inflow of the nail cosmetic liquid into the
permeation path 22 is stopped within the communication hole 23 to
which the guide tube 102 is fitly inserted.
[0081] The communication hole 23 of the felt chip 2 is required to
be structured such that the guide tube 102 is fitly inserted to the
midportion thereof, because the applicator is structured as an
applicator which can significantly widen the viscosity range of the
nail cosmetic liquid which the same felt chip can apply, by
employing the means for regulating the length of the guide tube 102
fitly inserted into the communication hole 23 without employing the
means for regulating the inner diameter of the communication hole
23, as the technical means for adapting the felt chip 2 to the
viscosity of the nail cosmetic liquid 10. Accordingly, as far as
serving as mentioned above, it is possible to employ the
application core having the permeability and made of the fiber or
felt or the similar porous or capillaceous material thereto, in
place of the felt chip 2 in the present embodiment.
[0082] As mentioned above, in accordance with the applicator in the
present embodiment, since the felt chip 2 is not only supported by
the leading end inner portion of the liquid cosmetic extrusion
container 1 from the outer side thereof, but also supported by the
guide tube 102 extended from the rear side thereof, it is possible
to effectively avoid the matter that the felt chip 2 is shaky and
becomes unstable even if the force in the lateral direction in
accordance with use is applied to the application portion 21 of the
felt chip 2, and it is possible to achieve an improvement of a
durability of the product with the application core, and a spread
of the product to a market as a result.
[0083] As mentioned above, the description is given of the present
embodiment which is applied to the nail cosmetic liquid among the
cosmetics, however, the present invention is not limited to the
embodiment. The present invention may be applied, for example, to a
concealer, an eye shadow and the other cosmetic liquid. Further,
the present invention can be widely applied to a writing ink, a
liquid material serving as a medical and pharmaceutical product and
the other articles, without being limited to the cosmetics.
* * * * *